EP0557824B1 - Method of assembling stacks of panels and device for carrying out the method - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to assemble stacks of panels from workpiece panels of identical format, the latter are transported individually or resting one upon the other along a conveying path, pushed down from the conveying path at a transfer point, aligned and then destacked to form a stack pattern. After the destacking of a predetermined number of stack patterns, a stack of panels built up thereby is transported onwards. A device for carrying out the method has a parking station (28) arranged to the side of the conveying path (10), to which is connected a stacking station (30) for destacking the panel material held ready in the parking station. The stacking station is adjoined by a stack acceptance station (26). For the transportation of the panel material held ready in the parking station and to be destacked in the stacking station on a lifting table (56), use is made of a transport apparatus (50) with a stack calculation trolley (52), with the aid of which completed stacks (18, 20, 22, 24) of panels can also be passed to the acceptance station. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a method with the method steps explained in the preamble of claim 1 and a device for carrying out this method with the features of the preamble of claim 4.

In the professional world, the term “stack image” is understood on the one hand to mean an arrangement of workpiece plates of the same format obtained by dividing a raw plate, which are stored individually or in a desired formation next to one another; on the other hand, instead of individual workpiece plates, these can also be adjacent plate stacks, formed from a relatively small number of individual workpiece plates, hereinafter referred to as "plate part stacks".

Such plate part stacks occur when two or more raw plates lying one on top of the other in plate sizing saws can be divided together according to a desired split image.

A method according to the preamble of claim 1, by means of which individual plate stacks can be built up from a desired number of workpiece plates of the same format lying flush with one another or with the same plate partial stacks, is known from DE-A-35 41 743.

In this case, by dividing the same size, stacked raw panels behind a panel sizing saw, the first batch of panels is conveyed along a conveyor line at a distance from one stop point and from there, for parking in a parking station outside the conveyor line, transported away to the stop point across its direction of delivery.

A predetermined number of individual plate part stacks are first collected in the parking station by the plate parts stacks that have already been parked being shifted accordingly in the delivery direction by the renewed transport of plate part stacks.

If a predetermined number of plate part stacks are lined up aligned in the parking station, this plate part stack row is placed transversely to its delivery direction on a lifting table. This is accomplished by means of a transport device in the form of a lifting gripper which, on the one hand, places several rows one behind the other and also one above the other on the lifting table, so that the stack of plates also receives the desired height. After completion, these are transported to a transfer station.

The object of the invention is to design a method of the type explained above in a rational and space-saving manner in that a correspondingly large number of workpiece plates and plate part stacks (stack images) can be provided already during parking and only a single process step is required for the removal of this plate material.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by the characterizing features of claim 1.

The process step combined with parking of relocating a part of the parked plate material to the waiting position offers the advantage of being able to collect a desired number of workpiece plates or plate part stacks for their joint transport to a stacking station without having to do so, viewed in the transverse direction to the conveyor line large space is required.

In addition, the shifting of parked stacked goods into a waiting position allows parking stacked goods again at correspondingly short intervals and being able to work with correspondingly high cycle times.

It should be mentioned that for the oriented storage of paper formats it is already known to first park them transversely to a conveying path before stacking and to move them to a waiting position.

In a procedure according to DE-A-31 07 495, a row of blank stacks is formed at the end of the conveying path, which is then transported across the delivery direction for parking on a formation table, with a row of blank stacks being transported again the stack of blanks that have already been parked are moved to a waiting position on the formation table.

After parking a predetermined number of rows of blank stacks, these are then pushed together onto a transfer carriage, which is lowered in front of a pallet for stack transfer, onto which the rows of blank stacks are then pushed from the side.

Apart from the fact that this procedure is not practical for individual blanks, the stacks of blanks in the parking station are not shifted into their waiting position parallel to the conveyor line, and it is also not possible to stack a plurality of blanks on top of one another.

In a procedure according to DE-A-36 31 209, stacks of paper of the same format are also parked in the manner explained above after being conveyed and are fed in rows to a waiting position. Here, a special transfer trolley also enables stacks of paper to be stacked on a pallet; however, parked rows of paper stacks are also steered into their waiting position across the conveyor line. Furthermore, it is also not possible in this case to stack paper formats as individual blanks in rows.

In the method according to the invention, stack images are preferably transported in accordance with claim 2.

Finally, the invention makes it possible to stack workpiece plates or plate partial stacks of a split image plate format for plate format, also in different formats, provided that such plate material is program-controlled according to claim 3 along the conveyor path at the stop points assigned to the individual plate formats is stopped and then removed for alignment, parking and stacking.

Another object of the invention is a device according to claim 4 for performing the method, advantageous embodiments of which are the subject of claims 5 to 10.

In the drawing, the device is shown schematically, for example, in three possible arrangements, each of which is shown in a top view.

The device according to FIG. 1 has a conveyor line, preferably in the form of a transport roller conveyor 10 having rollers rotating with friction drive, on which workpiece plates 11, preferably of the same format, are conveyed away by a plate sizing saw, not shown. These are part of a splitting image created on the panel sizing saw by simultaneously splitting several superimposed raw panels.

The stacked workpiece plates 11 of the same dimension form plate part stacks 12 which, viewed in the conveying direction, are at a mutual distance, i.e. isolated, a stacking device designated as a whole with 14 are fed.

Instead of plate part stacks 12, the plate material can also consist only of individual workpiece plates 11. Each of such an individual workpiece plate 11 or each plate sub-stack 12 that arises for further processing is referred to in technical terms as a “stack image”.

The stacking device 14 serves, as will be explained in more detail below, to preferably successively erect an equal number of plate stacks 18, 20, 22, 24 from a plurality of stack images and to feed them to a transfer station 26.

The stacking device 14 has a parking station 28 for the mutually aligned assembly of partial plate stacks 12 and a stacking station 30 for stacking the partial plate stacks 12 provided in the parking station 28, to which the transfer station 26 is connected.

Parking station 28, stacking station 30 and transfer station 26 are connected to one another one behind the other, the parking station 28 being located next to the transport roller conveyor 10.

The stacking device 14 has two horizontally and mutually parallel, rail-like guide carriers 32 and 34, which extend over the stations 26, 28 and 30 and the transport roller conveyor 10. The area of the transport roller conveyor 10 located between them forms a transfer station 36 upstream of the parking station 28, which has a plate stop 38 which can be raised and lowered in a program-controlled manner and extends transversely to the conveying direction, and a transfer and alignment ruler 40 which is located between the guide carriers 32 and 34 This is guided and is used to push in the parking station 28 in the transfer station 36 arrived and stopped by means of the plate stop 38 on the transport roller conveyor 10 plate stack 12.

In the area of the transfer station 36, the transport roller conveyor 10 is additionally equipped with transverse conveyor rollers, which are not shown for the sake of simplicity. Cross conveyor rollers and transport rollers of the transport roller conveyor 10 can be adjusted in height relative to one another. The transverse conveyor rollers can preferably be raised above the conveyor plane of the conveyor roller conveyor 10 defined by the conveyor rollers and, in this position, define a conveyor plane coplanar with a support plane of the parking station 28.

The parking station 28 has transport rollers mounted axially parallel to the roller axes 42 of the transport roller conveyor 10 indicated by dash-dotted lines, the roller axes of which are denoted by 44 and which, analogous to the roller axes 42 of the transport roller conveyor 10, rotate with a friction drive and preferably to these in the opposite direction.

The conveying path defined by the transport rollers of the parking station 28 within the same is limited by a stationary alignment stop 46.

The parking station 28 can also be equipped, analogously to the transfer station 36, with cross conveyor rollers that can be raised and lowered in order to be able to push in the stacking plate stacks 12 or stack images in the parking station 28 together for the stacking station 30 by means of the transfer and alignment ruler 40 .

However, the transfer of stacked images compiled in the parking station 28 is preferably carried out by means of a transport device 50, which can be program-controlled between the guide supports 32 and 34, which can be raised and lowered and can also be moved horizontally from a starting position in the area of the transfer station 26 to the parking station 28 having. With its rake arms 54, the stacking rake 52 can move in between the transport rollers of the parking station 28 in order to take over the plate material.

The stacking station 30 has a lifting table 56 for taking over the stack images provided in the parking station 28, for example plate stack 12 for the construction of plate stacks 18-24. This lifting table 56 is located initially in its upper starting position and executes a lowering movement corresponding to its height after each takeover of a set of plate sub-stacks 12.

The stacking station 30 can alternatively also be designed in another suitable manner for the erection of plate stacks.

The facility works programmatically as follows:
The workpiece plates 11 or plate part stacks 12 belonging to a split image are conveyed away from the relevant plate dividing saw in the direction of the transfer station 36 by the transport roller conveyor 10, wherein they are preferably separated along the conveying path.

The material to be stacked in the stacking device 14 is stopped by activating the plate stop 38 in the transfer station 36, e.g. two workpiece plates 11 or plate part stack 12 are placed against each other. In order to be able to subsequently feed them to the parking station 28 with the transfer and alignment ruler 40, transverse conveyor rollers are now raised both in the transfer station 36 and in the parking station 28.

When inserted into the parking station 28, both workpiece plates 11 or plate part stack 12 are simultaneously aligned with one another, whereby they are pushed into the position shown in FIG. 1 at the top in the parking station 28. Thereafter, the transfer and alignment ruler 40 returns to its starting position shown in FIG. 1, and the cross conveyor rollers in both stations 28, 36 are lowered again.

The plate material then arriving in the transfer station 36 and arriving at the plate stop 38 is again fed to the parking station 28 in the manner described above, the two stacking images inserted first being simultaneously shifted further in the parking station 28 towards the stacking station 30, so that now this, which is not shown, a total of four batch images, for example Plate sub-stack 12 are.

After the transverse conveyor rollers have been lowered, these plate sub-stacks 12 are brought together to bear against the alignment stop 46 against the conveying direction of the transport roller conveyor 10, so that the parking station 28 can again be supplied with a total of four plate sub-stacks 12 in the manner described.

If, as shown in the present case, a total of eight plate part stacks 12 are provided in the parking station 28, the transverse conveyor rollers of which are lowered and the transport rollers are stationary, the stacking rake 52 moves in a lowered position over the stacking station 30 and with its computing arms 54 between the transport rollers of the parking station 28 inside.

By lifting the stacking rake 52, all of the plate sub-stacks 12 provided in the parking station 28 are then picked up by the rake arms 54, transported by the stacking rake 52 over the lifting table 56 of the stacking station 30 and stacked together on this by the stacking rake 52 shown in FIG. 1 Starting position moves back and the plate part stacks 12 are pushed away from this by moving up against a raised scraper rake 48.

The lifting table 56 is then lowered to such an extent that, in the course of a further work cycle corresponding to the work cycle explained, a set of plate part stacks 12 provided in the parking station 28 can be stacked flush with the edges in the stacking station 30 for the simultaneous erection of a total of eight plate stacks 18, whereby the transfer and alignment ruler 40 places the material on the scraper 48 for alignment.

It is clear that even a single stack of plates can be erected in the manner described, which is indicated when the workpiece plates 11 in question have a correspondingly large format.

If the desired number of workpiece plates 11 for stacking one or more plate stacks 18-24 is stacked on the lifting table 56, the latter is raised to its starting position and the stacking rack 52 takes over the plate stack or plates 18-24 and in the transfer station 26 on transport rollers a heavy-duty conveyor 58 for removal.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transport roller conveyor 10 can also be assigned, for example, a plurality of stacking devices 14 lying one behind the other, wherein these can be provided to provide stack images of the same or different formats. In the latter case, its plate stop 38 selects which stack images are to be fed to the individual stacking devices 14 for stacking.

A further possibility of using a plurality of stacking devices 14 is illustrated by the arrangement of stacking devices 14 shown in FIG. 3 and mirrored to the transport roller conveyor 10.

In the case of the arrangement of stacking devices 14 according to FIGS. 2 and 3, it is ensured that an optimal performance result for erecting plate stacks 18-24 is achieved without any loss of time even when different plate formats are involved.

Claims (10)

1. Method of assembling stacks of panels (18, 20, 22, 24), each composed of a plurality of superposed stack patterns that are formed by individual workpiece panels (11) or by superposed partial panel stacks (12) of equal format, where stack patterns (11 or 12) are fed at equal distances one behind the other along a conveying path (roller conveyor 10) to a stop position (panel stop 38) and from the latter, transversely to their initial feeding direction, to a parking position outside the conveying path (roller conveyor 10), and where due to the arrival of new stack patterns (11 or 12) previously parked, mutually aligned stack patterns (11 or 12) are correspondingly displaced in the feeding direction, whereafter a predetermined number of parked stack patterns (11 or 12), that are positioned one behind the other in proper alignment, are jointly destacked for the assembly of panel stacks (18-24), and where after flush-edge destacking of a predetermined number of stack patterns (11 or 12), any panel stacks (18-24) thereby built up are jointly carried off,
   characterised in that
   at least two stack patterns (11 or 12) are positioned one adjacent the other and are mutually aligned by their edges at the stop position (panel stop 38) of the conveying path (roller conveyor 10), and are then parked together as a panel group, that thereafter the same number of stack patterns (11 or 12) are moved, in mutually aligned and flush arrangement, in a direction toward the panel group previously parked and are stopped in the latter's place, thereby displacing it by a corresponding length, and that prior to the arrival of further panel groups to be parked in the same way, a predetermined number of adjacently parked panel groups is transported in parallel to the conveying path (roller conveyor 10) into a waiting position, whereupon finally all parked panel groups can be displaced together into a destacking position (stacking station 30).
2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that parked stack patterns (11 or 12) are transported into the waiting position along the conveying path (roller conveyor 10) in a direction opposite to their feeding direction.
3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that stack patterns (11 or 12) of different format are transported along a common conveying path (roller conveyor 10) and that stack patterns (11 or 12) that differ in format one from the other are stopped in a program-controlled manner at appropriately assigned stop positions (panel stop 38) along the conveyor path (roller conveyor 10) and are then carried off for aligning, parking and destacking.
4. Device for carrying out the method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising feeding means (roller conveyor 10) for feeding stack patterns (11 or 12), arranged one behind the other, to a stop position (panel stop 38), from where they can be fed, transversely to the conveying direction, at least to one parking station (28), where the delivered stack patterns (11 or 12) can be presented and can be destacked commonly, in a stacking station (30), by a conveyor means (50) onto an elevating platform (56) for assembling panel stacks (18-24), and can then be fed to a receiving station (26) connected to the lifting platform, characterised in that the stack patterns (11 or 12) can be displaced in the parking station along the conveying path (roller conveyor 10) in parallel to their feeding direction, the greatest length of displacement being limited by a stationary aligning stop (46), and that panel stacks (18-24) assembled in the stacking station (30) can be simultaneously fed to the receiving station (26) by the conveying means (50).
5. Device according to claim 4, characterised in that the parking station (28) is equipped with two roller trains, that extend at a right angle one to the other and can be selectively activated by lifting and lowering, one of the said roller trains extending transversely to the conveying direction of the conveyor means (roller conveyor 10).
6. Device according to claim 4 or 5, characterised in that the parking station (28) comprises a transfer and aligning element (40), that can be moved across the conveying means (roller conveyor 10), and that serves for pushing stopped workpiece panels (11) or partial panel stacks (12) into the parking station (28).
7. Device according to any of the preceding claims 4 to 6, characterised in that the parking station (28), the stacking station (30) and the receiving station (26) are interlinked to one line.
8. Device according to any of the preceding claims 4 to 7, characterised in that the conveyor means (50) comprises a panel rake carriage (52) that can be lifted and lowered and can be controlled by the parking station (28), the stacking station (30) and the receiving station (26), that the stacking station (30) comprises an elevating platform (56) that can be lowered for destacking partial panel stacks (12), and that a stripping rake (48), that can be lifted and lowered and which is engaged by the rake arms (54) of the stack rake carriage (52), is arranged between the stacking station (30) and the receiving station (26).
9. Device according to claim 10 or 11, characterised in that stack assembly devices (14) comprising a parking station (28), a stacking station (30) and a receiving station (26) are arranged one behind the other on at least one longitudinal side of the conveyor means (roller conveyor 10), for different workpiece panel formats and/or partial panel stack formats.
10. Device according to any of the preceding claims 7 to 9, characterised in that, related to the conveying means (roller conveyor 10), at least two stack assembly devices (14), comprising a parking station (28), a stacking station (30) and a receiving station (26), are associated one to the other in mirrored arrangement.

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